Inquisitive Fate
by Hetaliancupcake
Summary: (SpaMano soul mate au/ human au) Lovino is a detective. Antonio is in his probationary period, working his way there. Antonio is working under Lovino, trying to soak in the new experience. But Loving know's that Antonio will break under this new morbid outlook on the world. No detective ever staped completely sane. Not to mention the band on their arms. What do they mean for them?
1. Chapter 1: An Annoying Soulmate

**~Inquisitive Fate~**

 _Chapter 1_

Lovino never knew that he had been able to feel something other than intense emotions. He had always felt immense amounts of jealousy, or hatred. Other times, annoyance, frustration. Maybe even sorrow. But for a while he had felt something different. A feeling unlike any he considered normal.

It was a sort of gentle breeze. It was pleasant. And he wanted to kill it.

There was no reason to feel such emotions. He didn't want any more pain. He didn't want this to become another intense emotion he'd have to deal with.

Not to mention this feeling made him sick. His stomach ached and his chest would rise and fall sporadically. He thought it was obvious why he didn't want to be around the person who caused this.

But they just kept coming back.

Again. And again. They were always there.

Inviting him to hang out.

Carrying out conversations with him, when it was obvious he was trying to avoid them.

Yesterday he'd even had the nerve to imagine them living together. The gall on this man was unthinkable. And his flirting technique was horrid.

No matter how many cruel things Lovino had said, no matter how many times he'd gotten angry with him, he continued to bother him. He even started calling him tomato face when he got mad.

It made Lovino want to avoid work indefinitely, but he needed money. And apparently this guy needed to get a life.

Lovino got up early one day and stepped out for some coffee before work at the station. He went to a new place today that his brother had been recommending to him for some time. He ordered and received his coffee and felt calm. Well, as calm as an angry, stressed, Italian man could be. He closed his eyes as he sipped, imagining

"Ah, could I get my usual, Lily?" Lovino spit out his coffee, and managed to attract the attention of everyone in the coffee shop. Every. Single. Person.

"Ah, Lovi! What are you doing here? This your usual place too?" Antonio's excited voice rang out. It made Lovino feel very small for a second, but he wouldn't stay like that.

"Don't call me that! And, no. This is my first time here, and I'd like to enjoy my coffee… alone." Lovino shouted at him. The right corner of Antonio's mouth curved upwards, and he paid for his coffee. Then proceeded to be annoying.

"Fine. But at least lower your voice. We are at a coffee shop at six in the morning." Lovino rolled his eyes and sipped at his coffee. It was going to be the only pleasant thing of his morning.

"I'm trying. You're the only reason I'm screaming in a coffee shop at six a.m.!" Antonio sipped at his coffee, that couldn't possibly have been cooler than lava hot.

"It's nice to know me walking into a coffee shop makes you want to scream out loud." Well when he put it that way it didn't sound like a good reason…

"Look, you bother me all day at work. You are literally my police partner. You see me every day. Yet you feel the need to find me wherever I go, and get my number from my brother. My god damn Fratello! I have no fucking idea how you even know him, but that is just weird." Lovino sputtered. Antonio sighed.

"Right… I just thought that since the chief promoted me to being your partner that I should be able to contact you. And about me inviting you to my house that was to a party. Your brother is actually a good friend of mine. He said you liked parties and that I should extend the olive branch. You don't have to come, Lovi- Lovino. I'm sorry if I crossed a personal threshold. But if we're going to be trusting each other with our own lives, isn't it normal to get to know each other?" Lovino grasped his cup of coffee hard, his nails digging into the container. This joker actually made him feel bad about his avoidance. But this couldn't have possibly been it! He had outright flirted with him just the other day! But of course pointing that out would make him seem like the interested one.

"Whatever. I guess. But know that Fratello is wrong, I hate parties. I can stand small, intimate ones, but crazy ones are too much for me." Lovino responded.

"I can tell you need more confidence. Is that the issue? Surrounded by all those fun, confident people? Is the reason why it's so horrible is because you don't know what to say?" Ouch.

"N-no. I'm a cop, cops don't have social anxiety! That would be the lamest shit ever. You have to have authority."

"You have that though. You're great at telling people what to do. You just don't have the confidence when dealing with actually decent people who want to befriend you." He casually sipped at his coffee again. "I don't mean to be insulting, but you should probably consider how you talk to people. It's not exactly normal." Lovino thrust his empty cup at Antonio, once again attracting the attention of the (now very annoyed) patrons. Antonio stood and threw both their cups away.

"See you at work Lovi. We have a busy day ahead I hear." Antonio dismissed himself with a mini salute and walked out of the small café. Lovino murmured angrily to himself, and then quieted.

He was relieved that he was gone… yet this lingering feeling of loneliness followed him after Antonio left. As if something he was meant to have, had left his life forever.

A/N: Hello everyone. Thanks so much for reading this new fic of mine. If you're also reading some of my in-progress ones, know that they will be finished but it might take me a while to get to that place where I can make them higher quality. It's been a while since my first writing, and It was a SpaMano fic. I missed the pairing dearly to be honest. So, hopefully this will satisfy two needs. Those who wanted a new soulmate Au, here we go! And those who love SpaMano, here they are. I hope the story for this one ends up okay. I'm trying to draw from my recently re-branded obsession with Danganronpa. Make sure to leave me feedback, anything is acceptable as long as it's constructive. Thanks, Cupcakes. : 3

A/N: So edit: this isnt hopefully too triggering, but remember that if you choose to read this, they are detectives. They see some stuff and deal with some topics people might not be comfortable with. So please, just keep that in mind. I should have put it in here the first time but I forgot. :3


	2. Chapter 2: A Rookie's Perception

**~Inquisitive Fate~**

 _Chapter 2_

Lovino checked his armband a second time that week. He wasn't hallucinating. It was still the boring grey it had always been. He didn't even know why he bothered to check anymore.

Except the fact that he hoped there was someone out there for him. As much as he told himself that the armbands of color meant nothing, that he'd be fine without a soul mate, society said otherwise.

When he was little, his parents always told him that whoever he met who'd change his armbands color was the one he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. But it was ridiculous. He never denied the existence of soulmates, nor the sight of other's bonds. He just denied his own.

He knew that others always viewed color as something so beautiful. It was literally the sign of a bond between two people. It meant a day off from work to bond with your partner. It meant a whole line of new benefits. No one had ever gone without a soulmate. Ever. But Lovino hoped he would.

He didn't care about benefits. About sharing his life with someone. He didn't want the day off from work. He didn't want a new relationship. He had enough trouble holding onto the ones he already had. As great as other people thought it was, Lovino thought it was a cheesy mechanism for obligation. A contract to have to love someone. To have to get to know someone. And if anyone hated obligatory relationships and being told who he could and couldn't be with, it was Lovino.

"Lovino! Antonio! We got a crime scene. I want you two to head there immediately. Terry and Roland are already in pursuit of the suspect in a car. Some other officers should already be there. Here's the place you're headed. Get going!" Chief Willows shouted, a stern expression noting how serious it was. Lovino jumped from his desk and took the directions from her. She watched them go with an intense stare Lovino could feel from a mile away.

In the car they sped off towards the house where the crime occurred. Lovino's stomach churned at the thought of the scene. Hopefully they'd just have to guard the door, and not be forced to examine the scene itself. He always hated that.

"You alright, Lovino?" it felt weird hearing him say his full name now.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, the amount of squeezing you're doing to that steering wheel should be considered murder… if that's not a sign you're having problems, I don't know what is. Don't worry. It'll be okay." Lovino glanced down at his hands and loosened their grip on the wheel.

"Antonio, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. I know you think it is since you're a newbie to the hands on field. You haven't seen the bodies. The blood. The epitome of human suffering. I have." That ought to get him to back off the topic. What normal person would continue that into a conversation?

"I'm sure it's horrible. But if we don't investigate it, and protect the scene, worse people get away. That's what would keep me from sleeping at night."

"Okay, so maybe you're not normal… It's obvious why we guard it Antonio, but that doesn't mean it's easy to do. You can't forget it, it's not something you can un-see. Murdered families. Kidnapped and battered young women. Children you couldn't save. It gets to you. And as much as you want to help, some part of you hopes you don't have to see the reason you need to help. That you can just help and leave the smell of metal and the sight of red stains in the carpet to someone else." Lovino finished. He didn't know why he was arguing so hard against his optimism. After all, he was the only one on the force right now with any, so why did he want to steal it away and snuff it out like a lit torch. Antonio was silent for a moment, and then Lovino heard him chuckle.

"That was pretty deep for someone who doesn't like it when people give him nicknames. You starting to warm up to me?" Lovino sighed and turned into the driveway.

"I'm not. I'm just giving you some advice. I won't do it again." Lovino replied, attempting to sound confident. His voice came out the same as always. Bitter.

He stepped out of the car and stepped up to the front door. An officer already stood there, speaking with the neighbors from one of the houses on either side. At least he could assume so.

"Fey? Are you guys guarding the perimeter?" Lovino questioned the officer. He was fairly young in force terms, but he wasn't a newbie. He was a dependable guy, although Lovino specifically stayed away from discussing politics with him.

"Terry went inside to check out how to safely get around the crime scene. We'll be out here and explain to some of the neighbors that they need to stay in their homes." Oh, goodie.

"Alright, come on, Antonio. We're looking after the scene." Lovino gestured, heading for the door. Antonio silently trailed behind him.

The scene wasn't as gruesome as he had imagined, and it certainly was not the worst he'd ever seen. The entryway was long and a table lay to either side. A candlestick lay on the ground, its rounded bottom encased in blood. Lovino pointed it out to Antonio so he'd step over it.

They made their way down the hallway, but it was rather difficult with all the photo frames laying broken on the ground. Plus, it was a rather thin hallway. Lovino pushed open the door to the living room and found Officer Hurst examining a small closet under the stairs. Lovino paused in the doorway and focused entirely on him.

"Hurst? Is there anyone else on the premises?"

"Oh. No, there don't appear to be any further witnesses. I've checked every place for small children in hiding. No other adults were here."

"Ah, good. Go on back out to talk to the neighborhood with Fey. Don't let any reporters on the scene. The chief hates having to explain how they got any information before we do." Lovino chastised. He hadn't meant to degrade him, really. But Hurst still managed to take it to heart and glanced guiltily to the ground. After that he simply nodded and silently left.

"Harsh, Lovi."

"What the hell did I say about calling me that?"

"Sorry. Maybe he'll keep it in mind at least."

"I find that the stern and steady hand is more effective than the gentle and kind one when it comes to whacking a lesson into someone's head." Lovino replied, sure it'd be fine.

"So, do we just watch it and wait? Do we take notes on the crime scene?"

"Sometimes I wonder if you Cadets understand what the detective branch of the department does… Look, since you're under me just do what I say. Take out your notepad." Antonio did as he was told and waited for orders.

Lovino glanced around the scene and focused on the chair at the center of the room, pulling on some gloves.

"No witnesses other than the victim and the aggressor. Victim isn't entirely cold, so whoever was in that car is likely the aggressor. They couldn't have been dead longer than an hour." Lovino stated, stepping warily across the room from the body towards the stairs.

"Note: Section of the banister is broken, but the section is nowhere to be seen." Lovino turned back to the open area and looked to the table. He crouched down to pick up a small piece of paper. "Potential suicide note. There is no rope, but there is a gun wound through her chest." Lovino pulled her forward in her chair, and examined the back of her head. "Blunt object struck her in the head. Two possible causes of death." Lovino turned away from the body and glanced to Antonio who scribbled his notes like his life depended on it.

"Is that all?" He asked Lovino. He moved his head from side to side, as if considering a thought and stepped away from the body.

"What would you say the cause of death was?"

"Umm… Well, most people would take it as face value, say she shot herself. But, the blow to the head is very suspicious."

"True. But where is the murder weapon?" Antonio furrowed his brows and glanced to the chair she was seated in. Beside it laid a bloody gun.

"I… Is this a trick question?" Antonio asked completely perplexed.

"No. There is a section of the missing banister that seems about the right size to cause enough damage to her head to kill her. I assume the gun was used in her struggle with her assailant. The attacker chased her down the stairs and delivered the final blow to her head right here. Look at the blood splatter. Plus, it drips unevenly here, with smaller drips spread across the floor, suggesting our assailant was strong enough to carry her to the chair. Not dragged."

"You're a fucking genius. Do they even need the forensic team, or the blood splatter specialists?" Antonio murmured incredulous. Lovino smirked.

"I just spend too much damn time around dead bodies. Plus, I still can only tell so much. It was a crime of passion, meaning it was someone who probably knew her. Though, I can't look at this situation and tell you exactly who. If that car chase is null and they get away we'll need fingerprints and shit to nail the culprit. I'm not a miracle, Antonio, and even if I was miracles don't hold up in court."

"Ha. I never said that mister confident. I'm just amazed you found out so much from so little." Lovino cleared his throat.

"The forensics team is here. I'm going to contact the chief, and we'll bag up the evidence when they've gotten a good look at the scene undisturbed." Lovino said. Antonio nodded in understanding, prompting Lovino to head outside and call his boss.

"Lovino? How are things at the scene?"

"Surprisingly well. No interruptions by the media, and I've gotten a good look at the scene. Forensics have their chance now and pictures are being snapped as we speak. After they're done we'll bag up key evidence and then we'll head on our way back I suppose." Lovino paused. "So, how did the chase go? Did we nail the guy?"

"He's being held in questioning as we speak. I want you to be in charge of that, so try to get things done ASAP, and head back."

"Sure thing boss. I'll report back in when we leave the scene." Lovino said. His boss made a small noise of acknowledgement and hung up, leaving Lovino to go back into the house and wait for forensics to finish up gathering samples.

After some time, they gathered up the evidence and headed back to the department. When the two of them entered, the chief briefed Lovino on the suspect in custody.

"Heracles Karpusi. He was the boyfriend of the deceased. They lived together. All we've got from him so far was that he had went out for groceries earlier today. Said when he got back, she was already dead. He stumbled outside unable to believe his eyes, and then when the cops arrived they wanted to arrest him. He fled the scene because he wasn't guilty and claims he is innocent. Keeps going on about how it must've been 'her'. Was pretty tight-lipped about it to me upon further questioning. Get in there, and get him talking." Lovino nodded, and made his way to Questioning Room A, Antonio trailing behind him.

When they entered, a young man with rich brown hair, and the oddest shaped stray hair Lovino had ever seen, stared up at them.

"Hello, Heracles is it? You're the boyfriend to the deceased young woman?" The man blinked and turned to the side.

"Yes… Oh God, Sakura." The man gasped, as if the very breath that uttered the words threatened to choke him. Lovino sat across from the man, and placed his hands gently on the table.

"Look, Heracles. I don't want to believe you've done this. In fact, I don't. But I need a reason to make the others feel the same." He glanced to the floor and then looked directly at Lovino.

"I- I think I know who it could be. I hate to believe it myself, since they were so close, but… Amelia. Sakura's best friend is a girl named Amelia. She's been acting odd for a while. Sakura said she was coming over to talk to her today. I don't understand why she'd do that to her. Why?" Heracles laid his head down and sobbed. Lovino felt for him really.

It was hard to believe in a perfect world where you live happily ever after with your one and only. The grim reality of the soul mate blessing, is that it wasn't a blessing at all. It was a curse.

You were cursed to only love one person. But sometimes glitches happened. Sometimes you'd be doomed to love someone who was to be with someone else. Sometimes you shirked what you were supposed to feel and ruined another relationship. Sometimes, you watched your loved one die, doomed to never love again. If you tried, you'd end up being the person in the former scenario. It was probably why he never believed a soulmate was out there for him. Rather, that he never found them.

"Heracles, please keep it together. I have a few more questions for you. Spell out for me you and Sakura's relationship with Amelia." Heracles lifted his head and wiped at his eyes.

"In college, Amelia had a giant crush on Sakura. I could see it almost immediately. But, I could also see how Sakura felt about her. They had known each other for a while before I jumped into the picture, and Sakura only ever addressed her as a friend. We all became friends then, we all got along with each other. One day I decided to ask Sakura if he wanted to be my girlfriend. That day, Amelia called me over and showed me her armband. It had changed from grey, to blue. I was so confused. I had already tried to hold back my feelings, but the day my band lit up, I knew it was because of her."

"What, happened next?" Lovino prompted. Heracles gestured to his wrist.

"I showed her mine, hoping that would make her understand. Her face was… It looked so heartbroken. She pulled me over to Sakura, and asked to see her armband. Sakura flashed it, and it was of course pink. The same as mine. I remember very clearly how much she seemed hurt by it."

"I assume not long after that you graduated? Moved on to other things, and she followed you around like a lost puppy?" Lovino asked, his head tilted in curiosity's grip.

"No, not exactly. We didn't see her again for a couple of years. A couple of months ago she showed back up at our door, asking to hang out. She seemed fine and happy…like everything was normal. Then, a week ago she showed up and was really awkward. She hung out with Sakura, but spared me no look. Not until she left. She gave Sakura a hug, then hugged me, and whispered, 'I'll reclaim what you stole from me.'" Heracles finished, his eyes distant and small.

"I see. So she had an unspoken love for Sakura, and when her band lit up with color, she assumed her day had finally come. But it was the wrong person, and she felt you had stolen Sakura, who should've been her soulmate. "

"It makes sense. But, I don't see why she'd kill her if she loved her like I did." Heracles murmured.

"Because Sakura loved you through and through. She didn't want to be whisked away, and in Amelia's agony and rage she killed her." Antonio proposed. His theory was fairly solid, but normally it took a long time for that to escalate. Normally, people would start feeling weirded out, and then they'd not be allowed back, and then a fight would break out first. The passion and anger didn't normally flare up the first time someone was denied something. It takes serious progression to resort to murder.

"Well, thank you for this lead Mr. Karpusi. Let me be clear. We will hold you a little while longer while we investigate this lead. That way if anything comes up we can ask you a few more questions. And, if nothing comes up, there will be a hell of a lot more I'll ask you for sure." Lovino said. Heracles nodded and glanced between the both of them.

"Thank you for believing me, and doing what's best for this case. Sakura… She deserves justice." Lovino nodded to him in response and pushed open the door, exited, and pulled it shut again.

A/N: Hello, Cupcakes! Hopefully you can see some better writing in me with this. Thank you so much to those who are so kind. Some of you guys are just so motivational and it really inspires me to try my best, and keep at it. I'm so grateful to my readers. Now, remember to follow me if you want updates to my stories, and this one if you just want updates on this one. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks, lovelies! ~HetalianCupcake


	3. Chapter 3: A New Suspect

**~Inquisitive Fate~**

 _-Chapter 3-_

"Antonio, do you think it's him? That he's the culprit?" Lovino asked, testing his underling.

"Whether I think so or not we need to investigate that girl right? It's stupid to draw conclusions without thorough investigation." Lovino nodded, trying to not to show evident pride.

"Yes, it's always good to investigate further and follow the lead. Come with me real quick. Let's look this girl up in the system and do a Google search on her." Lovino said, pulling Antonio along to his office. He sat down and searched her in the database. Nothing. "She's not in the database… but the Google search warranted an intriguing revelation. She's a model, and-" Lovino paused. Antonio tensed up as if he was going to strangle him or something.

"And, sir?" Lovino raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why aren't you writing this down? It's all relevant to the case!" Lovino sputtered, gesturing to Antonio, who jumped and then pulled out his notepad. "So she's a fairly popular model. Full name Amelia, F. Jones. She works at one of the top agencies here in America… Let's check there. If nothing else, they might tell us where to find her."

"Can I help you, sir?" The bubbly secretary manning the front desk asked with a smile as fake as fool's gold. He placed a hand on her desk and smiled. It was about as real as hers.

"Name's Detective Vargas. I'm here to inquire about one of your models. Amelia F. Jones? I have a few questions to ask her that are relevant to a case I'm working." He'd tell them that she wasn't a suspect, but that could end up being a lie. The receptionist glanced up at him, her eyes growing softer.

"She hasn't come in today sir." She answered.

"Could I get her home address then please? I understand if you have to ask your boss." Lovino replied. She put up a finger and grabbed the phone with her other hand. You could hear the other voice on the other side barely.

"There is a detective here asking for Amelia F. Jones home address. Is it alright to give it to him? Yes. I understand. Alright, thank you." She hung up and then looked back at her computer. "Alright-y! Here you go sir. Here is the address, thank you for waiting sir."

"Thank you. I'm glad it was painless; I won't bother you any further." Lovino said and the two of them set off to her address.

"That was rather easy…" Antonio murmured beside him. He wasn't wrong. It felt too easy. Normally Lovino had to get a warrant allowing his acquisition of information and relevant articles at these types of places. Though, this wasn't the first time it had been easier, and there could be reasons for it.

"Why do you think I'm over the speed limit? I'm pretty sure they gave us that information so easy because they knew she was already on her way to Outsville. I guess there are other options to explain it, but I don't want to take that risk." Antonio glanced to Lovino whose hands held the wheel in his deathly tight grasp.

"You think she's skipping town?" Antonio asked. Lovino bit his tongue, trying his hardest not to give a witty sarcastic response.

"Yeah, it's certainly a possibility I can't deny. But, at the same time it could be as simple as distaste. They could just not care what happens to her, though that is less likely being she's one of their best models." Lovino said, jutting the car right in an unnatural manner.

"So, then is there any other likely answer? Left, by the way." Antonio pointed diagonal from him on the left side of the road. Lovino turned as designated, and sharply maneuvered into an apartment complex parking lot. He pulled into a space, and sighed.

"She's apartment 3. And to answer your question, if she hasn't left, then likely they have some reason for not wanting to be investigated or involved with legal forces. Whether it's shady business practices, or just fear of bad publicity they go along with us kindly." A lesson everyone on the force should know.

"Oh, that makes sense. Let's head on up then?"

"Of course, we won't know her side until we speak with her. Let's be cautious though, alright?" With that, they exited the vehicle, Lovino made his way up the stairs to stand in front of apartment three. He knocked, observing his surroundings through his peripheral vision, just in case. A young woman with blonde hair that teased her shoulders, but didn't quite touch them, and the brightest cerulean eyes Lovino had ever seen opened the door. Her eyes darted to between the both of them, making their own observations.

"Amelia F. Jones? May we come in and chat?" She settled her eyes on Lovino and nodded, gesturing to the inside of her apartment. Her eyes were beautiful, but what they were not was secretive. They hid nothing, and showed him her fear, her gut-wrenching fear. They really were windows to the soul.

They seated themselves across from her as she cleared her dining room table off.

"Sorry it's such a mess. Is this…" She hesitated in asking what was on her mind, as she slid gently into her seat. She looked soberly down at the table, which seemed quite the opposite type of personality for someone who exuded a positive aura.

"Do you mind telling me what you did today, Amelia?" She sighed and rubbed her temple.

"I went over to my friend's place. Did she… do something?" Amelia responded.

"We are here to find out what you did, Amelia." Lovino said simply. She furrowed her brow slightly and squinted.

"What I did? Let me guess, Heracles said I'd done that to her. Well, fuck that shit. He's the one that scarred her this morning." Now it was Lovino's turn to furrow his brow.

"Scarred? Mrs. Honda is dead, Amelia. And I heard you visited her today." She hugged her arms like she got a cold chill and shook her head.

"Yeah… I went to visit her this morning so I could get my feelings off my chest, but… It wasn't the right time."

"What do you mean by that?" Antonio questioned, as if he'd read Lovino's mind.

"When I got there the door was slightly open. I pushed it forward and entered, calling her name. I could hear her sobbing from the hall. Strewn glass pieces and photo frames laid against the walls, that I can only assume he broke in their argument. They'd had one earlier that morning. She was so sad; she had hidden herself away in the corner of the living room. She explained through her wailing that Heracles didn't want her to see me anymore. Because I… I had threatened him. She asked me if it was true. I couldn't look her in the eye, and… she pounded at my chest with her fists, releasing some of her anger with every hit, until there was nothing left. I couldn't bear to tell her what I had come there to say. I had already caused her enough pain and confusion."

"What happened after that?" Lovino said, glancing to see if Antonio was writing things down, for his sake, not Lovino's.

"Well… I told her I was sorry to cause her so much trouble, and that he was right. That she was my best friend and I had crossed a line. She looked at me, as if she begged me not to go, that she didn't care. But I had to do what was best for both of us, or at least what I thought at the time was… but I killed her, didn't I? I walked away and she was so frail… She couldn't take it anymore." Amelia murmured, wiping at her leaking eyes.

"No. She was murdered. And I personally believe I haven't met the culprit yet. Is there anyone else it could possibly be? Someone connected to the three of you?" Lovino offered. She sniffled and rubbed her head again.

"I don't think so. I haven't talked too much of anyone since college. And I wouldn't know any of their new friends. I tried to stay away from them for a while hoping my feelings would disappear, but they didn't.

"There is no one that knew all three of you in college? Whether they seem important or not, I need to know. If you can't remember right now that's fine but- "

"Emmet." Amelia muttered. Lovino tilted his head in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"Emmet. Emmet Maes. He was friends with all of us in college, but he and I were really close for a while. I don't see why he'd have any reason to… do that. But, I haven't gotten anything from him in a while. I still have his number; I can find out his address if you- "

"No. It's alright. Tell me a little bit about him."

"He liked me in college. A little while after we meant he showed me his band. It had lit up some color. Said it was because of me. He chose the wrong day to tell me that. I screamed at him that the bands weren't always right. I was so upset from an earlier realization about Heracles and Sakura I… I was cruel. And yet, instead of crying or feeling hurt, he laughed. Said he'd make me love him. But if giving me his number and then barely bothering me was the plan he certainly failed. I don't see how he'd want to hurt Sakura though. She was so kind to everyone and when I brought him up to them they said they hadn't seen him since they moved in together." Amelia answered, her voice small.

"I see. Well, thank you for your time Amelia. If you find anything else relevant to tell me or if anything happens that concerns you, let me know. Here's a number you can reach me at. Don't leave the apartment. If you have to, then be careful and don't run away. I said I want to believe it's not you, but I'm not done investigating yet."

"I have no reason to run. Oh god… Sakura I just- Oh god." Amelia muttered her hands covering her mouth.

"Lovino pulled Antonio along and left her apartment warning her to keep her door locked and to be safe. When they got back in the car, Antonio clicked his seat belt into its socket and sighed.

"Do you believe her?" Antonio asked.

"It doesn't matter what I believe. I'm a detective. I haven't done all I can if I haven't investigated every possibility." Lovino replied, his mouth slightly curved.

"Where do we go from here then? All she gave us was a name. You didn't even ask for a physical description of him, so… what do we do?"

"Well, there is nothing much more than going back to the department and figuring out where we stand. It's getting late, and we'll probably have to stop for today anyways." Lovino replied, putting the key in the ignition. He had a feeling the motive was a stolen prize. And the murderer would come to claim it soon. Until then, it was a waiting game.

"Vargas, there you are. My office, please." Chief Willows asked of him. Lovino did as he was told.

"Tomorrow, I'd like you to meet with the coroner after the general case briefing tomorrow. I want a report of information found out today on my desk before you leave." The chief requested.

"Understood. I'll do that now."

"You two go home soon, alright? Good work today." Chief Willows praised them. It was a small compliment but it made Lovino shine. The two left his office and as Lovino sat down in his own office, he turned to Antonio and dismissed him for the day.

"Alright, Antonio. You can go home for the night. You handled yourself well today and I'm sure you learned a lot. Get some rest, and try not to think about this too much." Antonio smiled and laid a hand on Lovino's shoulder, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Thanks, Lovi, but I don't think I'm the one who needs to avoid over thinking this case." Once again, he was right. He really did have good intuition?

That night Lovino lay in bed in his empty home, and thought. About the case, Sakura's black hair plastered with blood to the back of the chair she sat in, her soft chocolate brown eyes pleading for help. He envisioned the different possibilities of the same scenario with his suspects. He visualized the murder and the words each of the questioned spoke. He tried to find something useful, anything useful. But there still seemed to be too many missing fragments that ruined his big picture.

Lovino raised his arm above his head and noted the time. 1 a.m. he sighed, his hand falling beside him as he tossed and turned some more. Eventually exhaustion took hold, enrapturing him in slumber.

To be perfectly honest, Lovino didn't think love in and of itself was evil. There were certainly times when he wished he had someone to inhabit his space, and allow him to vent. Someone to get him to keep his tomato garden in check. Someone who understood his mind and wouldn't hurt him because of his flaws. But through the flawed system of soul mate he knew he could never blindly trust the idea of love. It was too scary.

He had seen the possibilities after all. If he had told someone that his band had actually lit up he'd die. The stress and fear would be too much to bear and his heart would give out.

Then there was conscious affection. He wanted to believe he could have fallen in love with this person and was meant to be with them. But what if the band lit up for both of them, and they were disgusted. They loved someone else. Lovino had never really experimented out in the world. Had never really loved someone. Everything h had tried to date people dismissed him as an asshole, a loon, or just plain temperamental and unpleasant to be around.

He didn't want to have a soul mate just to disappoint them. He was sure it would just lead to the very cases he's investigated before. Not to mention, he had started to develop feelings for who he assumed the bond was with, but they hadn't revealed their lit up band. Either they didn't want them to be together like that, or they were embarrassed. Or maybe they just had feeling for someone else and hoped it was someone else.

Lovino knew whatever the reason, it would be impossible to reveal it himself. He was the stations best detective, and in his position having these feelings… they'd surely give him time off and it could ruin Antonio's probationary progress. So he really had no choice but to wait anyway.

It certainly didn't help that Antonio was so damn sexy. He was extremely physically attractive in a way Lovino had never thought of before. He hadn't been physically attracted to someone this much until now. There were moments since receiving Antonio as a rookie that he wanted to just kiss him. Just tell him he was great and kiss him. It was ridiculous. It wasn't a natural response. But the very words he uttered affected him like a charm spell. And the feelings he had developed over the last six months were annoying. But what could he do?

Lovino sat up in bed the next morning and turned his alarm off. He sluggishly lifted himself from his bed and opened his closet. He thought for a moment and decided to skip his shower. He didn't have much time to get to work and he wanted to get there a bit early. He had taken a shower a few days ago, so he just changed his clothes and groomed himself a bit.

Lovino glanced over to the dresser where his actual orange band sat. It glowed a bright orange. Lovino never realized how much he'd dislike the color orange.

"Fucking orange…" He muttered, shutting the door to his bedroom behind him.

He walked through the kitchen, coat in hand, and paused. He glanced to the coffee machine and sighed. "No time for coffee this morning." Lovino murmured, reminding himself of the chances that he'd end up crashing into another person because he was tired. If nothing else he'd be exhausted when he got to work. By his calculations he had only got about three and a half hours of sleep last night.

He started up his car and made his way to work, and it truly was a wonder he didn't crash and die. He tried to listen to music on the radio hoping it would hype him up for the day ahead but Lovino really just needed coffee. It staved off the horrific images of bodies and the words he refused to say. He pulled into his space and noticed Antonio in his rear view mirror.

"Oh hello, Lovi!" Antonio exclaimed as he got out of his car. He had parked across from Lovino. Lovino stepped out of his car and headed towards the building, leading Antonio to have to catch up to him. Which Antonio did, and held out a cup with a familiar logo. Lovino took it gratefully and drank it greedily.

"Thank you, Antonio. You had time to stop for coffee did you?" Lovino asked, attempting the act of small talk.

"Yeah, I got up early and I couldn't manage to go back to sleep. Figured I might as well get you some coffee. Ya know, to thank you for being such a great mentor. It really… I hope to make your proud, even if you'll just yell at me that you're not proud anyways." Lovino opened his mouth to protest that statement, but instead just huffed a little bit, pausing to cross his arms.

"What? You know it's true; you won't even let me use your nickname half the time!" Antonio said, stopping beside him. Lovino changed the subject.

"Did you think about it? Is that why you couldn't sleep?" He asked Antonio, who shook his head.

"No I'm just an insomniac is all. I'm fine otherwise. You on the other hand," Antonio paused to push some of Lovino's hair out of his face, "Look like shit. How'd you sleep?" Lovino coughed into his hand and shivered.

"It's cold as fuck out here. Let's get inside, you bastard." Lovino murmured. "I slept like… well, like an insomniac. I kept picturing things in my head about the case. I need you to come with me today and do some talking and evidence searching, okay? Consider it a quiz." Lovino requested sipping at his coffee. It was delicious.

"Yeah sure. It's a Mocha Frappuccino, by the way. I remember what you were drinking the day we first met, figured you liked it." He was very observant, a good trait for a detective to have.

"Thank you. Have you gone over your notes for the case?" Lovino asked, opening the front door for them.

"Mm, well no. I figured I'd read it this morning to catch myself up, but I figured I should get some coffee first and since it took so long it was already time for work so…" Antonio chuckled nervously as they made their way through the station.

"Alright. Don't do that again; I gave you tips rookie so you could use them. I'm gonna let you off today because we have a briefing. Now get in here, and let me explain how this bullshit usually works." Lovino pulled the office door open, and closed it behind them. Taking his seat, he gestured to the seat across from him. "It's basically the collective evidence of everyone's reports, and the forensic team's findings all put into one short fucking summary. Then the chief briefs us on what we need to figure out individually."

"So basic summary of case, additional information, and then designation of duties. Should I take notes?" Antonio inquired, holding up his notepad.

"Not unless something relevant comes up that we didn't already know. So, be prepared to take notes, but don't be disappointed if you don't find anything new out. Normally, forensic breakthroughs aren't reached at this point unless there was obvious prints on the items."

"Ah, alright then." Just as Antonio finished speaking, the chief's call rang out from outside the office, calling them together.

"Briefing time, let's get this show on the road!" The chief said, her booming voice presenting its own eminence as they entered. Once everyone who was relevant to the case at hand loaded into the room, the briefing began. "Alright. This time around we have a supposed murder on our hands. At first glance it seemed the possibility of a suicide existed, however at the current moment a struggle between our victim and their attacker is believed to have taken place. Now, who is our victim?" The chief asked rhetorically, clicking her remote, and continuing on to the next slide of the slideshow.

"Sakura Honda. Age twenty-six, 5'5". Short black hair, and amber eyes. She was the young woman who was murdered." Lovino answered anyways. It was boring just to listen.

"Yes. Current autopsy findings show she had a wound to the back of her head, but it wasn't what ultimately killed her. Her fatal blow was the puncture wound through her body. She appears to have bruises on her wrists and no gunshot wounds, which was believed to be how she may have killed herself, and the telling point that shows foul play was at hand." Chief Willows said so matter o' factly.

"So, what about the weapon? All I remember on the scene was a gun, and if she had no gunshot wounds then where is the real weapon?" Antonio asked, holding his little notepad.

"The weapon is believed to be a broken piece of the banister; the size is consistent with the size of the wound, and the fact that it's missing shows it wasn't just broken. Which brings me to our current suspects and witnesses." She clicked again, and pictures of the people they'd conversed with yesterday decorated the slide. "Through the boyfriend, Heracles Karpusi, we have found no evidence of a banister railing in the car he fled in nor in the house. Due to approximated time of death I don't believe he would have had enough time to dispose of the weapon before we found him. We continue to keep him in questioning however because there is still something to clear up. Next is Amelia F. Jones, a popular model, and Sakura's best friend. Yesterday, we had the chance to get some information out of her, and she had been the primary focus. A quick search of her apartment revealed no evidence linking her to the crime. However, after asking her some questions we may have a new primary suspect. They're name is Emmet Maes. Whoever finds information on them, be sure to report it to me and we will deal with it from there."

The slideshow ended and the lights came back on. Everyone turned to each other and discussed their plans.

"Alright, return to your work. Oh, Detectives Vargas, Fey, and Hurst. I'd like you to come with me to brief on the forensic evidence and discuss the specific assignments for you afterwards." Willows said, her smile white as pearls. She had such an unshakable confidence it was staggering. "Walk with me." And so they did. She didn't say much of anything as she led them down the hall and into the laboratory section of the department. They entered a medium sized, cold room, with microscopes on top of the counters, and several machines lining the walls to identify prints on objects. Several members of the forensics team whom had been working paused to look up at them. They had this look that Lovino connected to a vampire who had just lost its prey. A look that resembled disappointment.

The head analyst spoke with them and explained that there were very few prints, but the placement of them seemed fairly telling. The pictures of them were handed over to Fey and Hurst who would search matches for them in the system. Lovino barely got a look at them, but he'd be sure to check back in with them later.

The chief delegated the re-interviewing of Heracles to Lovino and Antonio. He trusted them enough to speak with them without a lawyer, and the new information from Amelia needed to be confirmed or refuted by his side of the story.

They made their way back to the other side of the department and entered questioning once more. Heracles seemed to brighten a little when they entered, and greeted them.

"Hello Detectives."

"Hello again. Before you ask, yes, we did speak with Amelia." Heracles glanced at the table, and rubbed his neck.

"Was it… Was it Amelia?"

"I don't believe so. After talking with her, her timeframe is off, and the thorough search of her apartment revealed no murder weapon. It doesn't completely exonerate her, of course, but it did raise some more questions however that I need to ask you about." Lovino replied, getting straight to the point.

Heracles bit his lip and then hesitantly met his eyes.

"Ask away."

"You had an argument with Sakura that morning. You told her that you didn't want her seeing Amelia again. You'd gotten angry, thrown a few picture frames in the hall around. And before you dispute that, your prints have been matched to the ones on the frame. So think about what you want to tell me." It was a blatant bluff that almost no one ever caught. People didn't understand how slow-going most forensic work actually was, and the in-depth process it entails. Plus, the pressure exerted on you at the table typically forced you to think not that they're lying, but more so about how much you should tell them. Murderers liked to tell a lot and repeat, so they wouldn't have to tell everything. Others were forgetful, so much that they don't mention those fake small details to through you off. But they may not tell you anything incriminating in any way.

"Yeah… I- I just told her I wasn't comfortable with Amelia around since she had threatened me." Heracles responded looking dejected. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"No. You were aggressive, told her she was to never to see her again. You knew what Amelia meant and you were going to solve the problem in a simple way. A path where you'd never have to worry for Sakura, and she'd never be whisked away." He winced.

"Yes, I was worried about her. Not that she'd leave with Amelia, but that Amelia would force her away from me, or lie, or… as much as I thought this least of all, hurt her. She just… didn't understand that. She asked how I was threatened, and when I told her she- she just didn't understand. She said I was overreacting. She fought me on every word, as if I was trying to be an asshole. But that wasn't it at all." Heracles murmured, tears lining his cheeks.

"What happened after the argument? Did you-"

"If you are insinuating that I hurt her, you can stop with the questions. I won't answer anymore. I'd never… oh god. I just left. I went to work which is where I was all day, and when I got home- Home she was…" He gently covered his face with his hand. Loving sat back and laid his hand a flat on the table, considering his revised story.

"Do you remember an Emmet Maes? Maybe an old friend from college?" He raised his head and furrowed his brows and then nodded.

"Yeah we knew him. Well, I say we, but he mostly hung out with Amelia."

"Did he have an odd fascination with her of any sort?" Loving inquired.

"I wouldn't say so. I assumed their bands matched and that's why he chased after her so hard. He never got the chance though. She never gave him one. Too busy with her own fixation on Sakura. Do you… think he's connected in some way?" Heracles asked. Loving smirked.

"Heracles, this may be questioning but you aren't the questioner. Now, did he know about her fascination for her? That she wasn't interested?" He considered this and wiped at his face.

"I can only assume… I mean after that day for a while he'd show up with things for her. Small things of affection. I can only guess that's why he gave up, why I haven't seen him since then." Lovino nodded.

"Thank you. I'm sure you'll be released today. Find a nice hotel room okay, and take my number in case I need to reach you." He nodded and they left, returning to Lovino's office where they had begun the day.

"Are you sure you should've given him that?" Antonio asked. His face was rather cute when it was concerned.

"They took his phone and other belongings when they brought him in. he'll get it back when he leaves, and if he wants to tell me something, he should be able to easily. I should be able to receive it effortlessly as well." Antonio shook his head.

"That's not what I meant. I just don't see him as being completely trustworthy with his information… He's already held the truth back once."

"Well, if he tries to sabotage the case, then we know he's at least covering for a culprit, don't we?" Antonio sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I guess. But withholding information is still a viable and clever option."

"If you want to complain that we can't hold him for very long without evidence, don't complain about that shit to me. Complain to the damn government. I don't make the laws." Lovino sassed, standing from his desk. "Let's talk with Fey and Hurst. When we are done we'll review our new information and brainstorm."

"Aye-aye Captain!" Antonio shouted, walking alongside him. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Don't call me that either." Antonio chuckled.

They made their way to Fey and Hurst's office and checked in with them. They had just finished cross-referencing the system for potential matches on the prints.

"Wanna come with us down to the lab? They still need to examine our findings and verify it." Fey asked them. They went along and ended up waiting outside the lab for a good hour and a half. In that time, Lovino went over the notes with Antonio and shared the new information with his fellow detectives. Lovino went over his current theory which the other's agreed was very solid.

When the analyst finally came out, they brought the sheet of prints, and the cross-reference report from the system.

"I need to get it verified, but my conclusion as of this moment is that these prints were a match." She handed the sheets to them and Fey examined it first. He furrowed his brow.

"I knew this made no sense. Why the hell is the victim's prints on the gun, but it was never used?"

"Maybe she had been planning to use it, but didn't have the chance?" Antonio offered. Lovino smirked.

"Maybe she used it in a way of protection from her attacker, but it was only used in melee struggle because it had no bullets? Maybe she hadn't been expecting them to not be scared of the empty guns mere presence, and when they approached they took it from her."

"Then why are there no prints other than Sakura's on the gun?" Antonio questioned.

"Because he came prepared with gloves. I'm fairly confident at this point it was premeditated; that they had come already knowing they were going to kill her. It's evident that it's not Heracles or Amelia. They wouldn't have left their prints at the scene if so. Plus, the banister is missing. The murder weapon that may have held their prints that would've made no sense to be there, and would've easily made them suspicious. It's quite telling now that we have the forensic evidence, although admissible in a court of law."

"It'd be considered purely circumstantial." Hurst answered. Lovino nodded to him and crossed his arms.

"You guys do what you need to. I'm going to report the gist if this to the chief. If it isn't verified let the chief know please." Lovino requested of the woman in the lab coat. She nodded in answer and returned to the lab to start the verification process. Lovino and Antonio headed to the chiefs office.

"I didn't know that detective work kept you moving so much." Lovino nodded.

"Most people don't. It sure keeps me on my feet so I guess I don't mind it so much anymore. Used to it and all." Antonio made a sound of acknowledgement as he sat down across from Lovino.

"You can go home now Antonio. And study your notes before coming in tomorrow. Get some rest. Good job today as well." It made Lovino tingle to give him a compliment. Antonio smiled and tucked away his notepad.

"But I didn't do anything today?"

"Sometimes it's important to just sit and soak in the information you learn from those around you. It isn't always a hands on job. I'm honestly grateful for the calm before the storm. Besides, you listened and we're very observant today. You did well." He left with a smile and a embarrassed nod. Lovino sighed.

He locked his office and headed home a tad earlier, hoping to get some actual sleep tonight. He did not have much about the case he thought of that night. For once, a night of calm, sweet, uninterrupted sleep-

 ** _Bring, Bring_**

"Fuck my life…"

A/N: So I'm going to put the next chapter on hold while I finish up some of the other in progress ones I have going on. I'm a bit unsure of how to end Carousel, so hopefully it ends fine. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and I honestly can't tell if this is really long or not. Like. I know a thousand words is relatively easy to read, but a story composed of ten chapters like that feels too short. So this will hopefully be a bit longer and have more substance to it. :3 Thanks so much for stopping by to read and hopefully the next chapter will come put before too long. Follow for updates and favorite if you're really enjoying it. Until next time, Cupcakes!


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